The ‘spy’ balloon comes from a Chinese company with close ties to the military, US says

First modification: 02/10/2023 – 10:16

With Guillaume Naudin, RFI Washington correspondent

China is going to have a hard time continuing to claim that it was a weather balloon that went off course.

According to the US State Department, the object shot down last Saturday by an F-22 over the Atlantic was indeed carrying devices intended to collect information. In particular, he carried devices to intercept various types of communication.

Detailed high-altitude images showed that the balloon’s equipment “was clearly for intelligence surveillance and was inconsistent with equipment aboard weather balloons,” the State Department said.

“It had multiple antennas to include an array likely capable of collecting and geolocating communications,” he said in an official note.

“It was equipped with solar panels large enough to produce the power needed to operate multiple active intelligence-gathering sensors,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The balloon was examined by U2 spy planes before being shot down.

Links with Chinese military company

Examination of the initial remains has begun, and State Department officials say the equipment was made by a Chinese company known for its proximity to the military. It is believed to be a program that has been running for several years.

That incident prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a long-planned impending trip to Beijing aimed at improving relations between the two rival superpowers.

The official said the United States believes the balloon was under the control of the Chinese People’s Army and is part of a fleet of balloons that Beijing has sent to more than 40 countries on five continents to gather intelligence.

“We believe that the balloon maker has a direct relationship with the Chinese military,” the official said.

He also said the United States was considering taking action against Chinese entities linked to the balloon operation, suggesting it could impose sanctions on them.

The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Chinese actions.

But this rare bipartisan impulse did not stop the matter from taking a political turn. A closed-door briefing in the House of Representatives was reportedly especially tense, with Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee questioning why the military waited until the balloon had crossed the entire country before shooting it down.